1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a crop harvesting headers and, more particularly, is concerned with a harvester header transport apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Crop harvesting headers used on combines to harvest grain crops, such as wheat, oats, barley, etc., generally include a reciprocating type cutterbar at its forwardmost location to sever standing crop material and initiate the crop harvesting process. Such grain headers typically include a reel to convey the severed crop material rearwardly from the cutterbar and a consolidating mechanism, such as an auger, to consolidate the severed crop material and discharge it rearwardly through an appropriate opening in the header to the threshing and separating components of the combine for further harvesting treatment.
With the advent of higher capacity combines, the size of crop harvesting headers, as measured by the length of the cutterbar extending between forwardly extending sidesheets at opposing ends of the cutterbar, has steadily increased. For example, it is not unheard of for the cutting width of current grain headers to approach thirty feet. Clearly, the trend is to increase the size of these headers as this practice decreases the amount of harvesting time necessary to harvest a given crop and increases the harvesting efficiency of the larger capacity combines.
However, increasing the size of the header creates problems of transporting the header from field to field or from one location to another, particularly if the route along which the header is transported involves the crossing or utilization of public roads. The header must first be removed from the combine and then transported separately with its cutterbar extending parallel to the direction in which the header is being moved in the transport mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,695 to Bernard proposes one apparatus for facilitating header transport on public roads. The Bernard apparatus includes front and rear trucks interconnected by a longitudinal tubular frame member extending between and attached to transverse frame members of the trucks. Each truck has mounting brace elements located along the transverse frame members for supporting the header thereon and a pair of swivel wheels mounted to and supporting the transverse frame members at the opposite ends thereof. Also, a hitch member is attached to the front truck. However, a drawback of the Bernard transport apparatus is that it must be left at the location in the field where the harvesting operation begins. By the time the harvesting is finished for the day, the combine may be several miles from its place of beginning. Thus, it is inconvenience to have to return to the beginning location to retrieve the transport apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,445 to McIlwain proposes another apparatus for facilitating header transport on public roads which overcomes the above-described drawback of the Bernard transport apparatus. The McIlwain transport apparatus includes first and second wheel assemblies interconnected by an axle to provide a dolly for supporting the header in a road transport condition. The first wheel assembly can be pivoted between a retracted position in which it is stored on the header during field operation of the header and a ground engaging position in which it partly supports the header during road transport of the header. The second wheel assembly is positioned on the opposite side of the header from the first wheel assembly when supporting the header during road transport. The second wheel assembly is disassembled from the axle and first wheel assembly and the axle and second wheel assembly are stored in the header during field operation of the header. Thus, the McIlwain transport apparatus overcomes the drawback of the Bernard transport apparatus by providing a self-contained apparatus which is carried with the header from location to location. However, the McIlwain transport apparatus introduces a new drawback. The conversion of the first and second wheel assemblies and the axle of the McIlwain transport apparatus between road transport and field operation modes requires assembling and disassembling of these components to and from one another. Carrying out these steps requires the expenditure of a considerable amount of time and effort.
Consequently, a need still exists for a harvesting header transport apparatus which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art without introducing new ones in their place.